How does a church turn green?
Plus: A brand new show comes to Wimbledon
Good morning, Wimblers — I hope that we’re all having a lovely week!
This week, we ask the question: How does a church turn green? I sat down with Trinity Church’s Elizabeth Scharinger to talk about how religious centres are pulling their weight when it comes to sustainability in the borough. Scroll down to read about pop-up markets, local food banks and why grassroots activism can affect a global change.
We’ve got updates on the Wimblers who ran the London Marathon on Sunday. Scroll down to see how much they raised and how fast they ran. Thank you to everyone who donated and showed support!
As always, please get in touch with stories or ideas: zak@thewimble.com.
Happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
🏅 The former mayor of Merton (2017-18), Councillor Marsie Skeete, has sadly passed away. Councillor Skeete has served as a councillor in Longthornton since 2014. She also held the roles of Cabinet Member for Women and Equalities and Chair of the Joint Consultative Committee with Ethnic Minority Organisations. Her passing was announced by the council, where Councillor Ross Garrod paid tribute to her work. Click here to read more.
⚽ AFC Wimbledon have secured their safety in League One! The Dons won their last match against Wigan Athletic, meaning they won’t be going down this season. Check out the team’s press release and interview with Johnnie Jackson.
🔥 Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a blaze at a property on St Helier Avenue in Morden on Sunday. Control officers took the first of 14 calls at 1.13pm and mobilised crews from Wimbledon, Mitcham, New Malden and Tooting fire stations. The fire was extinguished by 1.43pm, although most of the ground and first floors were destroyed. So far, there have been no reports of any injuries. Click here to read more about fire safety and how to protect you and your loved ones from danger.
🎤 Mitcham’s rather colourful bandstand won a prestigious national award this month. The bandstand, called ‘What Goes Around’, won in the best ‘Activation’ category of the Pineapple Awards, which recognises excellence in placemaking, community-led projects and urban design. The judges found that the bandstand offers “a striking focal point for the community, and it was clear from the presentation how joyous this project was – for the team delivering and the community it has provided for.” Click here to read more.
This week’s Wimble sponsor ⛳️
We are absolutely in golf season right now, and what better way to practise your swing than with a spot of golf at Caddi Club? Even if golf isn’t your thing, their bar and restaurant (with its beautiful rooftop terrace) is a great place to whittle away a sunny afternoon. Check out their website for deals, events and booking.
Property of the week 🏡
You may be looking at this GIF and saying, “Hang on, Zak . . . I’ve seen this one before!” And you’d be right. You have. But it’s still on the market, and I like this house quite a bit. This four-bedroom fully detached home is the last remaining part of the former Belmont Estate. Originally built in 1864 for merchant banker Daniel Meinertzhagen, the lodge has had a long list of owners from the Holloway family and members of the Orléans branch of the French royal family. Chapman Lodge is a Wimbledon gem. But what does a gem cost? £2.5m. Which is probably why it’s still available. Check out more pics here.
Updates on our runners 🏃
Many of you will hopefully remember that two weeks ago we featured four Wimblers running the London Marathon. How did they do? Did they manage to hit their targets? Don’t forget that you can still donate to each of their running pages even though the marathon is over!
Dean Parson (Haydon the Womble)
Dean’s initial plan was to raise £10,000 for Dons Local Action. Dean smashed his target and raised more than £16,500! He completed the marathon in 7 hours, 42 minutes and 24 seconds (wearing the full Haydon the Womble gear). Dean said, “A huge thanks to AFC Wimbledon fans who seemed to be everywhere to give me a lift when I needed it, even when I didn't know I needed it!”
Wayne and Lauren Weaver
Wayne and Lauren ran the London Marathon in support of Anaphylaxis UK. Lauren suffers from a severe nut allergy, and the family says they have benefited from the charity’s work for over 20 years. The duo finished in 5 hours, 20 minutes and 17 seconds. The combined target was to raise £4,000. The pair exceeded their target and are so far at £5,097. Well done!
Chrissie Ely
Chrissie ran the London Marathon in support of Street Child, an international children’s education charity active in more than 20 of the world’s most low-income and disaster-struck countries. Her goal was £2,500. I’m pleased to say that Chrissie has so far raised over £4,750 and completed the marathon in 3 hours and 45 minutes. She said it was a “fantastic day & incredible experience”.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🎯
🎨 Exhibition: Impressions of Wimbledon Common: The beauty of Wimbledon Common has been brought to life by local print maker Katie Preston in her new solo exhibition. Katie has captured the common’s shifting seasons through her screenprints, monotypes and drawings, and locals have the chance to meet with her and talk in person about the work every day throughout the exhibition. Entry is free, and 15 per cent of print sales will be donated to the Wimbledon Museum, which is just next door to the gallery.
Where: The Norman Plastow Gallery
When: Tuesday 28 April – Sunday 10 May, 2–5pm
☕️ Coffee in the Garden in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support: Have a cup of joe or a nice brew as you stroll around the beautiful gardens at 61 Arthur Road. There will be homemade cakes and other treats for sale, plus shopping from the bespoke stalls. The event is free but there is a suggested donation of £5 to cover the cost of the tea and cakes.
Where: 61 Arthur Road, SW19 7DN
When: Wednesday 6 May, 9am–1pm
🌳 Forest bathing at Cannizaro Park: Join Susanne Meis, founder of Meet in Nature, as she guides you along a slow, sensory walk in the wooded world of Cannizaro Park. Tickets are £15 per person and can be bought here.
Where: Cannizaro Park
When: Saturday 9 May, 10.30am–12.30pm
🍷 Australian wine tasting: Australia has been producing some of the world’s best wines for decades. Head down to Artisans Depot to sample some of their classics. Tickets are £35 per person and include a relaxed guided tasting of 6+ wines (and a glass of bubbly on arrival). Book at the bar or email artisansdepotwimbledon@gmail.com.
Where: Artisans Depop
When: Saturday 9 May, 7.30pm
🥕 Wimbledon Village Farmers’ Market: The farmers’ market is a classic weekend activity. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for that strange bespoke veg item from BBC Good Food or just a plain old carrot, the farmers’ market will surely have it. Get yourself along this weekend and pick up some groceries to assemble an extravagant spring salad as the weather warms up.
Where: Wimbledon Village
When: Sunday 10 May, 10am–3pm
🎤 The Rapping Princess: “Shiloh is a little princess with a big love for music. She’s got one problem though, she can’t sing…” Join Shiloh at Polka Theatre as she adventures through all genres of music to discover a love for rapping, with a little help from some singing friends and puppets along the way. The age range for this show is 3–6 years old. Tickets can be bought here. We really are lucky to have Polka on our doorsteps, so please do get yourself along to the theatre as much as you can to support such an amazing and enduring staple of SW19.
Where: Polka Theatre
When: Saturday 16 May – Sunday 21 June
What makes a church green? 🌿
What does it mean when a church goes green? Trinity United Reformed Church in Wimbledon – ‘Trinity’ for short – was founded in 1884 as a Presbyterian church. When the United Reformed Church was created in 1972, Trinity became a member of that denomination. In 2007, the Mansel Road Centre was built next to the church as a multi-purpose community hub, offering everything from dance, drama and music to language lessons and even Pilates. But over the past few years, the church has taken on a new endeavour: to go green. More specifically, the church is aiming to achieve a gold Eco Church award.
This week, I sat down to talk with Elizabeth Scharinger — church administrator and Green Group leader — to find out all about grassroots environmental projects and why community centres like Trinity are helping to pave the way for sustainable living in the borough.
When did Trinity turn its attention towards the environment and sustainability?
I suppose it’s happened gradually, but the biggest driving force behind it is A Rocha. A Rocha is an international charity – we work with the British arm – that focuses on conservation and restoring the natural world. They run a scheme called Eco Church, a community of churches from all denominations aiming to be more environmentally conscious. In 2016, we were awarded our bronze accreditation. Then came silver. But what we’re really aiming for is gold. To become an Eco Church, you have to make sure you’re performing in five areas: worship & teaching, buildings & energy, land & nature, community & local engagement, and lifestyle.
But how does a church prove it’s being sustainable in its worship, for instance?
Worship is actually one of the areas we’re doing really well in. We hold services dedicated to the environment; we have a prayer tree for people to pray for the climate crisis, and we’re providing resources (like our outdoor space or the Mansel Road Centre) for those who require more support. When it comes to buildings and energy, we’re actively reducing our carbon footprint every year. How do we do that? Well, one example is our NEST heating system, which makes sure the heating is only on when needed. Another example would be the Perspex we’ve put over our glass windows to help insulate the building all year round. It’s easier at the church’s Mansel Road Centre: we have LED lighting, we recycle, we get our milk delivered in glass bottles so as not to use single-use plastic, and we have a reusable party kit which anyone can hire (part of the Party Kit Network).
Do you think churches and other places of worship should be leading the community when it comes to sustainability?
I think community & local engagement is a very important part of what we do. We recognise the impact locally, nationally and internationally that the climate crisis is having. Once a year, we work with Sustainable Merton to host an eco winter pop-up market in Wimbledon Quarter (which has been great to us for these events). We sell ecoLiving and Fairtrade products at these markets, host a clothes swap and spread the word to the community, all the while raising money for Sustainable Merton. We’re also actively trying to create and educate the future caretakes of the planet with our Junior Church: planting a bee-friendly garden, doing litter pick-ups with the children.
I just think it’s so important for institutions like ours to be involved in the community, create those links and help others – and, by doing so, help the world.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I asked you which Wimbledon pub was a stop for stagecoaches before the area had a train station. The answer: Dog & Fox (though Rose & Crown would also be an acceptable answer).
Q: How many water wheels did the River Wandle power in the Victorian era?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition of The Wimble. I hope you enjoyed our feature on Trinity United Reformed Church and all the fantastic work they’re doing for the community. If you’ve got similar stories, please do get in touch with zak@thewimble.com. Other than that, have a great rest of the week and we’ll see you next time.